Past Hauntings
by Mystical Spork
Summary: Beast Boy comes to terms with past events. ONEshot


Past Hauntings

_Authors note/disclaimer:_

**Greetings, rabid fans! This may not be quit as… well; I guess the word is flame-inducing as Sins of Betrayal. I hope you enjoy! **_Oh yeah, we need a disclaimer: We don't own Teen Titans, it wouldn't be cancelled if we did._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The sun shone brightly through the stainless windows, falling on the souls inside.

"Ha! Take that!" Beast Boy groaned as his friend, Cyborg, destroyed his character in the video game they were playing.

"You didn't really think you could beat me, did you, man?" Cyborg cheered. Hopping up on the couch, he began to do a patented victory dance.

Starfire laughed. "I am sorry Beast Boy. Perhaps you will do battle with virtual battle with me?"

"I'm kinda gamestationed out, Star. A forlorn Beast Boy allowed his ears to droop as he removed himself from the couch.

Robin looked up from his research. "What's this? Beast Boy gamestationed out? Call the press!" Cyborg's eyebrows rose at this remark. "Sounds like Robin needs to take a break and mourn the loss of his video game record." A sly smile came across Robin's lips. "That sounds like a challenge." Cyborg grinned in turn. "Why yes, I think it is."

Beast Boy left the room to the sound of Starfire cheering as Robin and Cyborg dueled in the virtual world. He wandered aimlessly for a while, before settling down in his room.

Why could none of them understand? Why could they not see his hurt through the parade of smiles and jokes?

He sighed and sat on his bunk bed, grabbing a picture from the bedside table. Frozen eyes stared back at him. A young couple beamed as they held a small, squirming boy. He smiled ever-so-slightly as he brushed the young woman's face with his pinkie finger.

Mom. That was what he called her. He would always play with her hair while she gently held the boy, protecting him from the horrors of the world. But unlike the woman who had patiently rocked him to sleep more times than he could count, the picture did nothing as Beast Boy's finger ran over her face. He ran his eyes over to her husband, for who else would put an arm so protectively around her, or be smiling at her with such love?

Beast Boy shut his eyes. Dad. Daddy, as he had been known as back then. He didn't have a memory where the man wasn't smiling or laughing at something his son had said or done, at least not until the very last memory he had of them.

"_Gar! You have to go, now!" Garfield Logan looked around in a panic. This day had started out so well! How had it turned so awful? "Garfield?" Now his dad was talking. "Change, Gar. It's too late for us."_

"_I can't leave you." He begged. "Honey, please, for us, go!" His mother's voice was overflowing with fear. _

"_We love you so much, son!" Mark Logan screamed. But the roar of the falls drowned his calls. Beast Boy was clueless as to the words his father had just spoken. He felt the water slap his face. It was time to go._

_With almost no effort, he changed his body into that of a bird's, soaring high above the rapids. He turned his face away as the small canoe went over the edge of the waterfall. Then, with tears shining in his eyes, he flew in the direction of the village his family had been staying at._

The painful memory was constantly playing in his head like a bad movie. His friends never even noticed his private suffering. They were gone, claimed by the waters that they had loved.

Six years. That was nowhere near enough time to know your parents. Beast Boy wiped his eyes. He needed to do it. He needed to return to the place where the memories began. Where the two lives ended.

But how? He could never tell them, never let the other Titans know. They had their own problems. It was useless to try to confront them and explain why they needed to leave their precious city for a little mudhole in Africa. The best answer was to just leave. Leave, with nothing but a note explaining why in his wake.

He shuffled papers off his desk, looking for a clean piece. And maybe a pen that worked. Hastily scribbling a simple note down, he dropped the pen and surveyed the atomic site he called a room for some things to bring with him.

He grabbed the photo and, after some thought, one of his friends as well.

He could never leave them, not truly. An aching pain would be in his heart for this entire trip. But to cure one heartache, he'd need to sacrifice another. There was no need to bring anything else. He could easily turn into an animal when he grew hungry or tired.

"Bye." He whispered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wind whipped his already ruffled feathers as he caught site of land.

As soon as he dropped from the sky, he changed into a fox, hiding in the tall weeds. Noise came from the lighted area. He considered going up to them as a human, but changed into a forlorn-looking puppy instead.

Several small girls skipped through the grass where he lay. Once noticed the small green puppy and, talking excitedly in a foreign language, scooped the tiny creature up. Her friends gathered around the two, scratching the puppy's ears and squealing in delight.

Beast Boy took it, hoping they were chattering about food. He snuggled into the little girl's arms as she carried him back to the village. Her friends began talking breathlessly to the elders, making several motions at the puppy. The changeling could recognize some of the words being said. They were telling the village about the strange dog. He hoped against hope that they wouldn't think he was some sort of demon.

Too late. The witchdoctor had emerged from the crowd, shouting angry curses and throwing powder at him. The villagers began backing away in fear, when a booming voice announced to the crowd.

"Vrees nee!" Beast Boy looked up. Those words he recognized. 'Fear not.' His eyes glistened. Hope rushed through his system. Chief Tawaba! The witchdoctor may be powerful, but no one had more influence over the tribe than the chief. "Dag, Chief Tawaba."

He quickly transformed, drawing gasps from the crowd. The chief smiled at these antics. "Garfield, you have returned to the village, welcome!" He exclaimed in a deep commanding voice, holding his hand out to the boy. Beast Boy shyly walked up to the hut at which the chief stood before.

"Hello again. I don't think I'll be here for very long."

Ushering Beast Boy into his hut, the chief nodded at the last statement. "I sense you are here with business."

"Yes." They both sat on mats lying on the floor, accepting a bowl of food from the chief's main wife. One of his many children approached Beast Boy shyly, holding up a saffi charm. He graciously accepted, smiling as the little boy skipped off to another of the chief's wives, presumably his mother.

Chief Tawaba listened as Beast Boy told him his story. When the tale was finished, the chief spoke. "You have come to find what was most precious to you in the past." Getting up, he held the flap of the hut open. "But perhaps on this journey you will learn what is most precious to you in the present."

BB was used to these pearls of wisdom from the chief. He didn't always understand them at first, but they invariably made sense later. Sighing, he hopped up. "Dankie." He nodded towards the family and stepped out into the open village. The chief said this was a journey. Maybe it was time to start journeying.

_He was six again. For the first time, his parents let him ride in the canoe with them, not just meet them at the end of the ride. He skipped along, holding his mother's hand._

"_Careful, Gar." She chuckled as he slipped and slid over rocks. "You don't want to be hurt for your first canoe ride, do you?" The small boy looked at her fearfully, shaking his head._

"_Oh, come on. Let him live a little. Up you come, Big Guy." Gar giggled as his Daddy scooped him up and placed him on his shoulders. "You ready, son?" Mark inquired, tickling Gar under the armpits. When the tickling spasm was over, the boy spread his arms and pretended he was flying on his father's shoulders._

_He laughed again as they loaded their things in the canoe. Mark lifted Gar off his strong shoulders and placed him in the canoe. His mother ran her fingers through his hair, looking for any signs of worry._

"_Mom! I'll be fine! I can't wait!"_

_Shaking her head, Marie Logan sat down across from her son. Her husband untied the canoe, pushing them off. The sights and sounds of the river already overwhelmed the boy. It was like he had been thrown into an adventurous fairy tale! The family passed a looming tree. Gar made a mental note to ask mommy if he could climb it. He never even realized that he'd never think about that tree again._

Not until now. Beast Boy forced his eyes open. Now, now he had a goal.

Without a thought, he turned into a cheetah, taking off across the savannah.

The giant of a tree was the only thing that danced in his memory.

He reveled in the running, speeding along as fast as he could. He barely noticed the trees and nocturnal creatures as he streaked past. 'They're probably wondering what the heck I'm doing.' The boy-cheetah smirked.

As much as he would have had it the other way, Beast Boy was forced to slow to a creep once he reached the jungle. The real jungle. So unimaginably tangled and wild that you could take seven steps from you camp and be lost for days.

He changed back into a boy, wondering what animal would be best for this. Instantly, the perfect creature popped into his mind: Leopard. Such an animal had been born to maneuver in such conditions as overgrown as this one.

Becoming a leopard, he panted a little. 'I'm going to need a nap soon.' He thought.

Then, he saw it. The behemoth that gave him the same stunned feeling as it had years ago. With a few quick leaps, he climbed to the top. Not a bad place for a good night's sleep. Settling down on a particularly large branch, his eyelids crashed and he fell into a deep sleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, he opened his eyes to one of Africa's patented sunrises. Beast Boy sat back, enjoying the blending of the pinks, reds, and yellows.

Focused on the sunrise, he didn't even notice the crackling of the branch. Too much weight. Too much pressure. The branch snapped, leaving the stunned boy flying through leaves and sticks toward the ground.

"Beast Boy!" A voice barked.

He jumped up, ready to change into something for a good fight. He was not ready to see four people running toward him. Robin called his name again. "Beast Boy! Are you okay?"

His eyes widened. "What are you _doing _here?"

Starfire's large, innocent eyes looked at him worriedly. "You left so abruptly. Your tracker told us that you had come here. We came also."

"Didn't you get my note? I have to do this alone. Had to come alone."

Cyborg glared at his friend. "Yeah, we got your note. We just didn't listen." Robin spoke next. "How could you leave us without really explaining where or why?"

Beast Boy hung his head. This wasn't something that could be explained, none of them could understand. He'd left his parents to die, and he had to somehow come to terms with that. But it was something to be done alone.

Robin's next reply could have given him a heart attack. "It's about your parents, isn't it?" He said quietly. Beast Boy was too stunned to answer. Robin looked away. "Did you think I wouldn't understand? Don't you ever wonder why I don't talk about my parents?"

Shaking his head, the changeling finally answered. "How did you know what happened to my parents?" The teen across from him spoke. "The world's greatest detective is my mentor. Did you guys really think I knew nothing about where you came from?"

Beast Boy opened and shut his mouth several times. "If you understand," he finally said, "then you know I have to do this by myself."

Robin stood up, walking towards the river, away from his friends. He was silent for a few moments. Sighing, he began speaking again. I once thought that too. I thought that if maybe, if I pushed everyone away, then they wouldn't notice my grief. Maybe if I could focus on how lonely I was, I wouldn't have to pay any attention to my heartache. But I was wrong, Beast Boy, and so are you. You _never _have to be alone."

BB looked up in surprise as Robin held a piece of paper out to him. No, a picture. "My parents." He took the photo out of his friend's hands. Two sly faces smiled up at him. They were in each others' arms; the woman's long, black hair fell around her creamy face. Dark blue eyes seemed to pick through Beast Boy's soul. The man had black hair as well, but his eyes were an intelligent, strong gray.

"I keep them with me all the time. And I know you do too; I've seen them in your room."

Beast Boy's smile shone through his face of surprise. "Come on, Beast Boy, let's go home. The mosquitoes here are bigger then me, and the Tower is too quiet without you." Raven's monotone voice sounded.

"I just want to do one thing first. Come with me?" Cyborg nodded. "Sure thing, man."

He led the small group to the river, which was fairly calm at this point. Then, he started to tell them a story. About a day when he was only six years old…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And that's how it happened." Beast Boy said as he finished the tale. Not a single face in the audience before him wore anything else but a look of understanding and acceptance. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Robin smiling at him. "It's time to come home. You've been missed."

He nodded. "I've missed you guys too."

And with that, the five friends walked away from the risen sun, a new level of sheer joy at simply being alive laying in each of them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Thanks for the attention, fellow readers! Even though this took way too long to write, it was still fun!_


End file.
